It is usual in the prior art to provide sliding panels, such as screen or glass doors and the like, with rollers at the corners of the panels. The rollers ride on appropriate tracks on the top and bottom of the door opening. It is also usual in the prior art for the rollers to be spring biased so as to permit the door to be positioned in the tracks by a simple manipulation and to permit the doors to be easily removed from the tracks as may be required. It is important that the rollers be self-adjustable so that they can ride freely in the tracks and thus avoid binding of the panel in the tracks as the panel slides from one position to another, and to accommodate slight variations in the size of the panel opening and/or out of square conditions, imperfections, etc. which may exist in said opening. Moreover, the rollers should be displaceable to various positions away from the top and bottom edges of the door and should be easily replaceable. Preferably, the corners of the door should be configured so as to act as an installation guide and to have anti-rattle characteristics.
The following prior art relates generally to the invention disclosed herein: U.S. Pat. No. 3,299,575 (U.S. Class 49/420) which issued to Du Shane on Jan. 24, 1967; U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,890 (U.S. Class 16/91) which issued to Benson on Feb. 20, 1973; U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,654 (U.S. Class 16/91) which issued to Migneault, et al, on Apr. 24, 1962; U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,741 (U.S. Class 16/105) which issued to Riegelman on Oct. 17, 1989; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,619,947 (U.S. Class 49/425) which issued to Burum, et al, on Nov. 16, 1971.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,299,575 relates to a screen frame construction of sheet metal or extruded members for sliding screen doors having supporting rollers at the bottom and guide rollers at the top of the frame. The patent generally teaches rollers having a spring biased wheel and an adjustment screw, as particularly shown in FIG. 1 of the patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,890 relates to a sliding door roller assembly comprising a unitary generally L-shaped corner bracket having a pivotable roller carriage with an outwardly biased detent engageable in a groove in a flange of the corner bracket. A biasing spring and an adjustment screw are also featured.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,654 relates to a pressure applying device for applying sealing pressure to closure panels such as windows, doors and the like. The invention recognizes that in sliding panel construction for building structures, it is desireable to provide means for resiliently urging the panel into snug fitting engagement with a wall of the groove in which it is slidably mounted in order to prevent the occurrence of drafts and to avoid rattles and the like. To this extent, the invention teaches a roller arrangement having an outward biasing spring and an adjustment screw, as particularly shown in FIG. 1.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,741 relates to sliding door roller apparatus including an easily replaceable and removable wheel assembly. The wheel assembly includes a resilient housing, a wheel and an axle on which the wheel turns. The resilient housing is a part of opposite facing side walls each having an integral end portion that extends toward and overlaps the other. Each end portion includes at least one locking finger that is positionable within an opening on the holding member. The resiliency of the housing permits the locking fingers to be placed or removed from an opening located on the holding member. An adjustment mechanism including a biasing spring and an adjustment means is provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,619,947 relates to a one-piece corner fastener for securing together the stile and rail of a sliding door frame. The corner fastener is made of plastic and has an integral roller carrying arm with sufficient resiliency to yieldingly hold the roller in engagement with a door frame guiding track. Adjustable stop means limit the extent of movement of the roller away from the door frame guiding track.
It will be discerned from the description of the present invention which follows that the invention differs structurally from the prior art as recited above and provides a corner roller arrangement for sliding panels not taught or suggested thereby and which provides the aforementioned advantageous features.